Running interference after third strike dropped - Baseball Rules Academy

This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 11 months ago by deefholtsdamien.

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- February 13, 2022 at 3:33 am
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deefholtsdamien
Participant

I’ll do my best to explain fully what hapenned.

Batter is batting, third strike, and catcher drops the ball and it kind of trickles out towards the pitcher nearer the front edge of the batters box.

Batter has a clear line to run to first and takes the opportunity.

Catcher comes in and takes down the runner while attempting to pick up the ball.

There was much arguing and the umpire made a decision. I have tried to understand the rule but it seems to be ambiguous.

Does the catcher have to allow the runner to run, if they have a clear path to first base, or does the runner have to give way to the catcher attempting to play the ball?

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- - February 13, 2022 at 3:58 am
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  Daniel Wroblewski
  Participant
  Certainly with a batted ball, a catcher who is trying to get to the ball and a runner who is runner to first collide — this is nothing, unless:
  
  There is intentional contact by either catcher or runner.
  
  The umpire decides that another fielder is protected to field the ball.
  
  The time a fielder is called for interference is when he is looking at the ball and not running.
  
  Is a dropped 3rd strike different? The rule talks about a catcher fielding the ball, and does not explicitly say it is only a batted ball. It seems to me to be nothing.
  - February 13, 2022 at 6:23 am
    
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    deefholtsdamien
    Participant
    
    oh ok, what if in the play the batter is taken down and injured due to the catchers play. Does it still count as a nothing play?
- - February 13, 2022 at 11:11 am
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  nbkhgkhg
  Participant
  
  I would say a dropped third strike is different, in this case it’s an interference by the batter-runner according to 6.01 (a) (1).
  
  An injury of the batter-runner does in and of itself not change anything. Of course, if the actions of the catcher are unsportsmanlike, he will be ejected, but the batter is still out for the interference.
- - February 13, 2022 at 8:25 pm
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  deefholtsdamien
  Participant
  
  ahh ok, thank you for the response. I had never seen it before and was unsure of how it should play.

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